The Sunshine Coast Regional District is hosting a pair of community workshops on Persephone Brewing Company’s application for non-farm use of part of their property at Stewart and North roads in Area F (West Howe Sound).
The brewery is on land within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), and the rules established by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) put limits on things such as buildings, homes and activities not tied to running a farm.
Persephone doesn’t meet the ALR regulations for a brewery, which state at least 50 per cent of the ingredients used must be grown on site, so the business has applied for non-farm use.
According to the SCRD, the two workshops will be “a chance for the public to provide feedback through focused discussions that will help the SCRD board provide a comprehensive community response to the ALC.”
The ALC will, however, make the final decision.
The workshops will be at Eric Cardinal Hall on March 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. and March 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The company drew a couple of complaints last year for allegedly violating bylaws. SCRD directors rejected fines and penalties at the Jan. 28 corporate and administrative services meeting, after hearing from SCRD staff that the brewery was taking steps to deal with concerns raised by the public by creating more on-site parking, putting up new signage and relocating some noisier events.
The SCRD is also considering bylaws or bylaw changes that could impact Persephone, and similar operations, down the road – new rules for special events, and a new zoning classification called AG (Agriculture) to replace the current Rural 3.
A public hearing on AG zoning is expected in early April.
A draft special events bylaw could be ready for directors in April or May. The SCRD’s current special events bylaw doesn’t kick in unless attendance is expected to be 1,000, or higher. SCRD planning staff are looking at examples from other areas in the province where the thresholds are as low as 200 attendees, with the permit costs and requirements “tiered” – meaning they go up with the size of the event.
– With files from Christine Wood
